Huge Connected Cysts. Please Help!

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I have been an acne sufferer for a good 7 years now, I have always thought my acne was moderate until recently. In the past three months, I have developed these big red, painful cystic acnes on the one side of my face. The rest of my face is relatively clear. I have combination skin and have tried everything I could have imagine. from expensive products, from chanel to clinique, doctor prescribed medications, everything except birth control pills, antibiotics and accutane. I am not willing to put my body through those.

Many times, I bought the pills, antibiotics and stuff, but i just never had the courage to actually take them. I am a coward, i am just not willing to take the trade.

I have a pretty healthy diet, regular sleep pattern and everything, but my acne seem to grow over and over at the same spot, HUGE cysts would get connected, they all look super red and angry.

I am currently taking vitamin c, primerose oil, vitamin e. I apply vitamin e's at night. i exfoliate once a day, apply tea tree oil once a day, and antibiotics solutions. I m getting really desperate. PLEASE HELP ME!

thank you guys so much and i cant tell you how grateful i am to have a community like this.

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You really need some proper medication, and to see a dermatologist. I don't really understand your logic of not willing to put your body "through" any kind of antibiotic, birth control or accutane, but the physical & psychological pain of acne and scarring is ok?

The drugs are really not at all scary, and are massively beneficial!

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Birth control (or other hormonal treatment) is probably the best treatment for women with acne. Many women who go on Accutane find their acne returns once they have to stop Accutane. Hormonal treatment is the only thing that seems to help acne long-term in clinical studies.

If at some point you are willing to try birth control, make sure you pick one that helps acne. Many birth controls pills make it worse. In the list below in my signature, good ones are marked in GREEN.

Barring that, the only thing I can really recommend to you naturally is to do a google search on "candida" and "acne." Some have found that following a candida diet and using herbal antifungals cleared them up.

GreenGables

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Your acne is getting a little severe and from what you're saying you are basically unwilling to use anything that could effectively treat it. Why? This acne could scar you, you realize this right? Im sorry, it's happening to you--i've had a break out or two like this in the past so i know what its like...At this point birth control and spiro will not provide any immediate help so I dunno why everyone's pushing it.... You really need something to kill the infection before it spreads anymore so oral antibiotics are your best bet (and that is what this is: it is an infection that will keep spreading; that's why your getting multi zits). Take them with some probiotics if you want but definitely, you need to at least consider them because they may be able to prevent further scarring. The cycline type of antibiotics will help you with both the inflammation and the bacteria but they can take up to a month to work so I'd ask your doctor for topical clindamycin or benzaclyn or some kind of topical disinfectant to use in the meantime, or maybe your doctor will just prescribe you the oral version cause it works fast (maybe you have staph or something I dunno). The longer you wait to treat this the worse it can get. Dont wait for it to go away on its own cause its not gonna happen...

Also, as far as self treatment goes...dont fuck around trying self diagnose youself right now; don't waste time trying find a totally random or bizarre reason for your acne because no matter the reason you will still have to treat it the same way, so you need to take care of the infection before anything else... If you want to know if you have candida or whatever go to your doctor and get a test for it (that's right they have a freaking test for it). Whatever you do, don't self diagnose yourself from things you read of google...

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I have been an acne sufferer for a good 7 years now, I have always thought my acne was moderate until recently. In the past three months, I have developed these big red, painful cystic acnes on the one side of my face. The rest of my face is relatively clear. I have combination skin and have tried everything I could have imagine. from expensive products, from chanel to clinique, doctor prescribed medications, everything except birth control pills, antibiotics and accutane. I am not willing to put my body through those.

Many times, I bought the pills, antibiotics and stuff, but i just never had the courage to actually take them. I am a coward, i am just not willing to take the trade.

I have a pretty healthy diet, regular sleep pattern and everything, but my acne seem to grow over and over at the same spot, HUGE cysts would get connected, they all look super red and angry.

I am currently taking vitamin c, primerose oil, vitamin e. I apply vitamin e's at night. i exfoliate once a day, apply tea tree oil once a day, and antibiotics solutions. I m getting really desperate. PLEASE HELP ME!

thank you guys so much and i cant tell you how grateful i am to have a community like this.

Hi liza,your face looks the same as mine used to,there's some pic's somewhere on my profile,found out that I was allergic or intolearant to ramen,pot noodles,instant soup,gravy and coffee granules and a few other things,even some tablets contain the same chemicals,

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Your acne is getting a little severe and from what you're saying you are basically unwilling to use anything that could effectively treat it. Why? This acne could scar you, you realize this right? Im sorry, it's happening to you--i've had a break out or two like this in the past so i know what its like...At this point birth control and spiro will not provide any immediate help so I dunno why everyone's pushing it.... You really need something to kill the infection before it spreads anymore so oral antibiotics are your best bet (and that is what this is: it is an infection that will keep spreading; that's why your getting multi zits). Take them with some probiotics if you want but definitely, you need to at least consider them because they may be able to prevent further scarring. The cycline type of antibiotics will help you with both the inflammation and the bacteria but they can take up to a month to work so I'd ask your doctor for topical clindamycin or benzaclyn or some kind of topical disinfectant to use in the meantime, or maybe your doctor will just prescribe you the oral version cause it works fast (maybe you have staph or something I dunno). The longer you wait to treat this the worse it can get. Dont wait for it to go away on its own cause its not gonna happen...

Also, as far as self treatment goes...dont fuck around trying self diagnose youself right now; don't waste time trying find a totally random or bizarre reason for your acne because no matter the reason you will still have to treat it the same way, so you need to take care of the infection before anything else... If you want to know if you have candida or whatever go to your doctor and get a test for it (that's right they have a freaking test for it). Whatever you do, don't self diagnose yourself from things you read of google...

GreenGables

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Your acne is getting a little severe and from what you're saying you are basically unwilling to use anything that could effectively treat it. Why? This acne could scar you, you realize this right? Im sorry, it's happening to you--i've had a break out or two like this in the past so i know what its like...At this point birth control and spiro will not provide any immediate help so I dunno why everyone's pushing it.... You really need something to kill the infection before it spreads anymore so oral antibiotics are your best bet (and that is what this is: it is an infection that will keep spreading; that's why your getting multi zits). Take them with some probiotics if you want but definitely, you need to at least consider them because they may be able to prevent further scarring. The cycline type of antibiotics will help you with both the inflammation and the bacteria but they can take up to a month to work so I'd ask your doctor for topical clindamycin or benzaclyn or some kind of topical disinfectant to use in the meantime, or maybe your doctor will just prescribe you the oral version cause it works fast (maybe you have staph or something I dunno). The longer you wait to treat this the worse it can get. Dont wait for it to go away on its own cause its not gonna happen...

Also, as far as self treatment goes...dont fuck around trying self diagnose youself right now; don't waste time trying find a totally random or bizarre reason for your acne because no matter the reason you will still have to treat it the same way, so you need to take care of the infection before anything else... If you want to know if you have candida or whatever go to your doctor and get a test for it (that's right they have a freaking test for it). Whatever you do, don't self diagnose yourself from things you read of google...

Having been on over ten different antibiotics that did not clear my acne, I can personally attest that antibiotics are not a solution. I am now immune to most antibiotics which is a serious problem if I ever get sick. If I could go back in time, I would never have taken the antibiotic pills. Hormonal treatment takes time to kick in, but it is very effective long-term for many women.

As for your rant about self-diagnosing, frankly I ended up finding my cure with spiro by self-diagnosing. I went to doctor after doctor over the years and none of them correctly diagnosed my acne. Doctors make educated guesses based on decades old knowledge based on when they graduated from med school. If they helped everyone these forums wouldn't exist.

Also, there are several clinical studies showing that candida binds to hormones. Candida can actually produce false estrogens so your body will lower its own estrogen production. This creates all sorts of problems, one of them is acne. It's not that far out to try serious diet changes, whether it's anti-candida or simply something really healthy like Paleo, based on the number of people who have seen their acne improve from such changes.

%2

Your acne is getting a little severe and from what you're saying you are basically unwilling to use anything that could effectively treat it. Why? This acne could scar you, you realize this right? Im sorry, it's happening to you--i've had a break out or two like this in the past so i know what its like...At this point birth control and spiro will not provide any immediate help so I dunno why everyone's pushing it.... You really need something to kill the infection before it spreads anymore so oral antibiotics are your best bet (and that is what this is: it is an infection that will keep spreading; that's why your getting multi zits). Take them with some probiotics if you want but definitely, you need to at least consider them because they may be able to prevent further scarring. The cycline type of antibiotics will help you with both the inflammation and the bacteria but they can take up to a month to work so I'd ask your doctor for topical clindamycin or benzaclyn or some kind of topical disinfectant to use in the meantime, or maybe your doctor will just prescribe you the oral version cause it works fast (maybe you have staph or something I dunno). The longer you wait to treat this the worse it can get. Dont wait for it to go away on its own cause its not gonna happen...

Also, as far as self treatment goes...dont fuck around trying self diagnose youself right now; don't waste time trying find a totally random or bizarre reason for your acne because no matter the reason you will still have to treat it the same way, so you need to take care of the infection before anything else... If you want to know if you have candida or whatever go to your doctor and get a test for it (that's right they have a freaking test for it). Whatever you do, don't self diagnose yourself from things you read of google...

Having been on over ten different antibiotics that did not clear my acne, I can personally attest that antibiotics are not a solution. I am now immune to most antibiotics which is a serious problem if I ever get sick. If I could go back in time, I would never have taken the antibiotic pills. Hormonal treatment takes time to kick in, but it is very effective long-term for many women.

As for your rant about self-diagnosing, frankly I ended up finding my cure with spiro by self-diagnosing. I went to doctor after doctor over the years and none of them correctly diagnosed my acne. Doctors make educated guesses based on decades old knowledge based on when they graduated from med school. If they helped everyone these forums wouldn't exist.

Also, there are several clinical studies showing that candida binds to hormones. Candida can actually produce false estrogens so your body will lower its own estrogen production. This creates all sorts of problems, one of them is acne. It's not that far out to try serious diet changes, whether it's anti-candida or simply something really healthy like Paleo, based on the number of people who have seen their acne improve from such changes.

I'm sorry but just because antibiotics didnt work for you doesn't make that the case for everyone else and despite what you may think, it's not a great idea to tell someone to search for random things online to diagnose themselves with--and it IS random. You are not suggesting simple dietary changes--you are telling her to search for "candida" and "acne" on the off chance that she has it even though there's no real way she could find out for sure unless she goes to a freaking doctor. This girl doesnt complain of having digestive issues or yeast infections etc; she complains of having pretty bad acne, which could be due to a number of reasons. This sort of acne usually leaves scarring so I don't think she should wait any longer to take care of this infection. Zits that are joined together like that might be staph but either way its definitely something that she needs to treat (diet, hormones, and all that stuff can be great but none of those things are going to kill the bacterial infection in her skin)..

Also, I went to my doctor after doing some self diagnosing/"research" on my own and got spiro just like you (also diagnosed myself with candida at one point) but guess what? Turns out all it did was cause me problems because I didn't need it (don't get me wrong it worked for a while but it also messed my hormones up to the point where I stopped getting my period and became bloated all the time). This is why i rant against telling people to go "research" random things like that. Just because hormonal treatments worked for you does not mean they work for everyone else.

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that seems like what i had , i went to the derm and he said i had a skin infection he prescriped me clindamyacin topical solution in a roller type deodorant thing and tretinoin cream which really helped out . vitamin d3 1000 iu is really good for infections to if you want to try somthing a little more natural ive stopped using the acne stuff cuzz although it controlled my acne i thought it my be irritating my skin and making me break out more any way good luck and its not so bad take care

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You really need some proper medication, and to see a dermatologist. I don't really understand your logic of not willing to put your body "through" any kind of antibiotic, birth control or accutane, but the physical & psychological pain of acne and scarring is ok?

The drugs are really not at all scary, and are massively beneficial!

I am super scared that it's only gonna make it worse. I have always been very sensitive to almost all the medications, it usually helps for a short amount of time then i become immune to them. i was hoping for more of the natural internal fix. but thanks a bunch

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You really need some proper medication, and to see a dermatologist. I don't really understand your logic of not willing to put your body "through" any kind of antibiotic, birth control or accutane, but the physical & psychological pain of acne and scarring is ok?

The drugs are really not at all scary, and are massively beneficial!

I am super scared that it's only gonna make it worse. I have always been very sensitive to almost all the medications, it usually helps for a short amount of time then i become immune to them. i was hoping for more of the natural internal fix. but thanks a bunch

They don't make it worse. Antibiotics can be a short term solution, but some see their acne return to a much lesser degree after treatment. I would've thought a dermatologist would happily prescribe you Isotretinoin anyway, & for most that is a long term solution and close to a cure.

Natural Internal fix... Really? Would you treat any other condition that you were badly affected by with no medication?

If you want to go the natural route you will notice no improvement right away. For an approach as such it will take time and devotion but possible. Have no doubt that acne is an internal problem, whether it's an infection, hormonal imbalance or food intolerances the root comes from the inside of your body. Your body is notifying you that something isnt functioning accordingly, so as Gambles suggested try researching online for possibilities. We are all capable to achieve and sometimes a visit to the derm can worsen your skin conditions but it can also vary since my opinion is a bit biased . I found that visit after visit did nothing to improve the condition of my skin and all it achieved was to lower my self worth. I refute the idea that antibiotics and accurate are the only cure for severe acne as I am a severe acne sufferer as well. Well, "was" due to an extensive amount of excercise and nutritional plan I was able to lower my breakouts from a a rather severe case to a mild case . I blame my monthly breakouts to my menstrual . Haha. Please do some searches an guaranteed that the knowledge you gain from searching and reading will help you battle your acne and battle these mediocre choices that are made by professionals that for the sake of their status will not give you direct answers . You can always inbox me sweetheart I am open to help out a friend

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If you want to go the natural route you will notice no improvement right away. For an approach as such it will take time and devotion but possible. Have no doubt that acne is an internal problem, whether it's an infection, hormonal imbalance or food intolerances the root comes from the inside of your body. Your body is notifying you that something isnt functioning accordingly, so as Gambles suggested try researching online for possibilities. We are all capable to achieve and sometimes a visit to the derm can worsen your skin conditions but it can also vary since my opinion is a bit biased . I found that visit after visit did nothing to improve the condition of my skin and all it achieved was to lower my self worth. I refute the idea that antibiotics and accurate are the only cure for severe acne as I am a severe acne sufferer as well. Well, "was" due to an extensive amount of excercise and nutritional plan I was able to lower my breakouts from a a rather severe case to a mild case . I blame my monthly breakouts to my menstrual . Haha. Please do some searches an guaranteed that the knowledge you gain from searching and reading will help you battle your acne and battle these mediocre choices that are made by professionals that for the sake of their status will not give you direct answers . You can always inbox me sweetheart I am open to help out a friend

Hi,how refreshing to hear someone take a new approach,especially when you mention food intolerance,

I luckily found out that I was intolerant to instant foods,like ramen,gravy/cooffee granules,instant soup,packet mix in sauces etc, and now I don't get cysts anymore

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Thanks so much for all your help!! I cant tell you how much it helped me/encouraged me/ corrected me.

=) Fortunately, my cysts have all gone away!!! I still have a bit of scarring left, but nothing that can't be treated with time! I am actually super glad I didnt end up taking the BC pills. Recently, I found an old tube of differin along with some benzoyl peroxide. I applied some every three days, and it did help a bit with inflammations.

I want to let everyone that are suffering with cysts know, that regardless of how severe your breakouts may seem at the moment, everything WILL get better, with time. If you feel like nothing works, please dont give up. Simply stop thinking about it. it will go away. You are who you are not because of your skin conditions, i know how superficial this may sounds, but this is how i got through my days of horrible breakouts. In the end, we can all learn so much from it, we have higher tolerance than most people.

Life is fair in the sense that if you are breaking out a lot, or suffering a skin condition, good things will come your way in the other aspects. You can then look back and think, this trade off is so worth it because of the things you have been blessed with.

Thank you guys so much again! By no means am I done with acne, but i can proudly say, i dont ever think about it that much anymore.

Fighting!!

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Hi, that looks exactly like my jawline and cheeks until about two weeks ago. Even now most of the cysts have gone apart from a few nodules under my jawline, but the scars are still here. I didn't take any medication. Not through choice but because I couldn't get a doctor's appointment until next Monday. What I did, however, was cut back on all the harsh treatments (salicylic acid, glycolic acid etc) and concentrate on nourishing my skin. This was mainly because my skin and cysts were so incredibly painful I just couldn't take any more. The cysts were so so painful they throbbed constantly and at one point I could barely touch them. Like you, they also connected into one big area which was just red and inflammed.

About two weeks ago I started taking lots of omega 3/fish oil tablets and lots of zinc (see the vitamins thread). I hate it when people blame diet etc for acne as if it's your fault. I don't eat milk, sugar, meat etc drink 8-10 glasses of water a day but still suffer from acne. If it was that simple surely we would all have amazing skin!? I do feel however, that these vitamins have helped (not cured) as my bacne is significantly improved over this period. I used to be obsessed with my bacne but since my face has become so bad I have been concentrating more on that. However, the skin on my back is much smoother with lots less open pores, blackheads and cysts. Coincidence? Maybe, but I haven't changed any other topical treatment.

Another thing I can't stress enough is moisturiser. And LOTS of it. I used to be scared of using moisturiser thinking it would make my skin greasy but since my skin was so dry, flaky, painful and inflammed from all the treatments I didn't have a lot of choice. I have been using a facial oil (horror) and a moisturiser and my skin is looking a feeling a lot better. Also, after this apply lots of aloe vera and ibruprofen gel to the cysts and inflammed areas. This has helped me a lot.

Good luck.

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Throughout my teenage years I would get minor breakouts and my dr would prescribe me doxycycline and benzaclyn and differin gels. I used that A LOT and it worked perfectly. I had beautiful skin. I wasn't aware that taking those pills and even putting those creams on my face could have bad effects in the long run.

About 2 yrs. later, I began getting minor breakouts AGAIN!! Nothing severe but this time, I was put on birth control pills to help my acne. WORST decision ever!!! I ended up with huge cystic acne all over my face and jawline :'( I decided to stop taking it and I continuously broke out due to the effect of stopping. That's when I saw a dermatologist and he prescribed the same thing as when I was a teen. Well it worked again but this time it took over almost two years to have clear skin. Sadly I was left with a couple of scars on cheeks.

Just recently I started getting acne again. A couple of cystic acne and they hurt so bad. My cheeks looked like yours in your photo. I felt helpless and I refuse to start with the prescribed meds again. I don't want to damage my body. I've taken and used too much of that stuff already.

Well I believe I found a solution maybe you can consider it too. First of all, it's been 2 weeks already that I drink water with lemon in it in morning and evening. It's good for cleansing liver ( which liver could be cause of acne after all times of taking strong meds) and its good for skin too and many other things. I also eat grapefruit everyday because it is good for skin too. I also already have 1 week of taking dr. Wayne Diamonds "herpanacine" supplements. It consists of vitamins a, e, zinc, and selenium. Great for skin and its all natural stuff. It works from the inside out, which is what we need to kill all that bacteria in the inside. To wash my face, I use a product that consists of tea tree oil, all natural too. So far, my skin is looking sooo much better. My cystic acne has gone down. My face no longer hurts I just have red marks. I feel so hopeful and excited that I dnt need any of that chemical stuff. Not many people know about those pills and from what I've read, it works wonders on skin. Yay!!!